Church Covenant Part 5: Before the World Alcohol and Drugs

Out with Matthew five sixteen again as we continue. As I mentioned, the series, we're kind of using our church covenant as the the outline here for it. But again, what we believe and teach doesn't come from a covenant or a statement of faith. It comes from the word of God. It is our, it is God's word to us.

It is our rule and practice. It's the basis of what we believe. It is God's record to us and praise the Lord. He has given it to us. So, that we don't have to be aimless or confused.

We can know his will. We can know him and the only way of salvation is son, Jesus Christ. So, we're going to start this morning. Again, with Matthew five sixteen. Matthew five sixteen says, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven.

I see a couple things in that verse. First of all, God desires to be glorified. Not only God desire to be glorified but God deserves to be glorified. He is the creator of all that is. He is our creator, our maker, our king, our Lord, and he is worthy of our praise.

He is worthy of our adoration, worthy of our worship, worthy of our faith. He is worthy to be glorified and the second thing we see from that verse is, how is God glorified on this Earth today? Well, he's glorified in his people, okay? He is glorified in the faith and in the works of Christians who claim his name, who know him, who walk with him, and will one day walk with him in heaven, who have eternal life through faith in his son. God seeks to be glorified today in you.

And in me. If we do not bring glory to our God, in our faith and in our service to him, then God will not be glorified as he desires to be. Through his church, through his church, in the lives of all believers in through this church, through Missouri Avenue Baptist Church. First Corinthians ten thirty one, whether therefore you eat drink or or whatsoever you do, do all to the what? To the glory of God.

Now, that doesn't mean this. That doesn't mean that whatever you do, dedicate it or say, I'm doing this to God's glory. Sad to say, there's a lot of people that are doing things they say to God's glory that probably aren't to God's glory. What does that verse mean? Well, it means this, no matter what you do, whatever aspect of life, no matter where you go, where, what you're doing, let everything you do bring glory.

To the God who saved you. The God who made you. Let it point others to your maker and to your savior Jesus Christ. Glorify him. Think.

Think about what we're doing, what we're saying, where we're going. Think, does this bring what? Does this bring glory to God? As I've said before, some of you getting tired of hearing this but there's new faces this morning. So, I'll say it again.

If the only reason God saved you was to take you to heaven, where would you be? You'd be in heaven but he didn't save you just to take you to heaven. He saved you that you might bring glory to his name. Why is this church here? This church isn't here just to fill up space.

This church isn't here just to have numbers. This church is not here just as an organization. This church is here to bring glory to God and that is its purpose on this Earth. That is my purpose and your purpose as the children of God. We are the ambassadors of Jesus Christ.

We are the representatives of Jesus Christ to the world in which we live in today. In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel, they were the representatives. They were the ambassadors of Jesus Christ. Today, the church. All believers in Christ.

Missouri Avenue Baptist Church, we are the ambassadors of Jesus Christ. We do his bidding and we bring glory to his name. This among other reasons is why we have a church covenant to remind us of our responsibilities to one another and our responsibilities to God. In this case particularly as it relates to our testimony before the world. We have a section in our covenant says it's entitled before the world.

It says to walk circumspectly in the world or cautiously to be just in our dealings faithful in our engagements and exemplary in our deportment or our behavior the way we conduct ourselves to avoid all tattling backbiting and excessive anger to abstain from the sale of and use of destructive drugs or intoxicating drinks as a beverage to shun pornography, to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our savior and you had our church covenant. You'd see all the all the verse references that go along with those and this isn't a entire list of our things we should be concerned about but just a few a few things particularly that maybe tend to struggle with in the culture, in the world in in which we live this morning. Before we continue, let's go to the Lord in prayer. Just once more. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for this day.

Thank you for again for your word that you've given to us. Lord, may we open our hearts to it. May you take away the distractions and the holy spirit use it today. To direct our steps and to make us more like Jesus Christ, our savior. May you indeed be magnified and Lord today, if there's one who doesn't know you, as Lord and savior of their life, may today, today be their day of salvation.

In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen. Amen. So, this this matter of deportment, okay? That was the fourth one.

We were on last week and we're going to kind of continue from that. The four that come after that I I've kind of made subheadings of of that one. Again, the word deportment speaks to our conduct or behavior before the world. And that is important. It's important to God because again, we represent him.

In Titus two one, Paul said to Titus, but speak thou the things which become sound doctrine. Now, when we read that word become today in the King James version, we think that he needs to speak the things that will become sound doctrine. But that's not what that word means. It means it's fitting to sound doctrine. Speak, teach the things that are fitting, that are in accordance with, that are not contrary but that work with the sound doctrine that you're teaching.

Sound doctrine should demonstrate itself in every aspect of our life and how we live. We need to be what? Doers of the word and not hearers only. And so there were things that Paul goes on in this passage which we read last week. Some very practical suggestions and commands that Timothy was to teach to his congregation so that they might live a life that was consistent with the gospel that they said they believed in and not contrary to it.

Sad to say that's not always the case with Christians today, I'm afraid. We get saved. We go hurrah. I'm on my way to heaven. That's all taken care of and then we get our eyes off the Lord.

Christians fall out of church. They start getting involved in worldly things and their light doesn't shine nearly as bright for the Lord Jesus Christ as as it ought to. This other verse here, first Peter 115 says, but as he which hath called you is holy, so be you holy in all manner of conversation or conduct. All of our conduct should be consistent with the nature of our savior and the message that we preach. If it is contradictory then our testimony is hindered and our joy in the Christian life is hindered.

We need to strive by his power and grace to be more like our savior Jesus Christ separate from sin and honoring unto the Lord. How we behave in public does matter. Our language matters. Our tentative matters. Our appropriateness matters.

Our timeliness matters. We looked at several of these things last week in the service particularly in our covenant. We mentioned our our tongue, taddling, and backbiting, excessive anger. These things should not be part of the life of a Christian. Gossip has no place in the church.

Though sad to say, it often has a very big place. In many churches. But it shouldn't be there. Excessive anger bitterness, an unforgiving spirit. They have no place.

In the church. They are not befitting the gospel of Jesus Christ in sound doctrine. In Ephesians four twenty six, we read this last week. It says, be angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.

Look at you verse and what in verse 29. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto the hearers. That it may lift other people up. That it may point them to Jesus. That might help them in a way.

In in Hebrews ten twenty five, it says, that we're not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together that we might exhort one another. We need encouragement. We don't need to kick each other when we're down. We don't need to talk behind each other's backs. We don't need to hold on to grudges and hold it over people's heads.

That's not the way of the Lord. That's the way of the world. And God expects better things of his children and of his church. He says, verse 31, but let all bitterness, wrath and anger and clamor and evil be speaking, evil speaking be put away from you with all malice and be kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. The Bible says, God has shed abroad his love in our hearts through his son and the spirit that he has given to us.

That is a spirit of forgiveness. We love him because he first want, loved us and as he has forgiven us of so much, we need to be of a forgiving heart and spirit. We'll talk a little more about that in the evening service along with gratitude tonight but moving on this morning, I want to move to the next one in our in our our covenant here and this is one that's a little bit controversial in our culture today. I don't believe it's very controversial in the word of God. It says to abstain from the sale of and use of destructive drugs and intoxicating drinks as a beverage.

Explain Okay. That just a little bit. Basically it says to abstain from the use of and sale of illegal drugs and alcoholic beverages. Now does the world have a big problem with that? No.

Yes. No. Question is not what the world has a problem with. The question is what God has a problem with. And God's direction and God's instruction concerning some things that we will most definitely deal with in our world today.

And honestly people have been dealing with for a very long time. Drugs and alcohol are nothing new. They've been around for a very long time. They've changed forms. They change in the way of ease of buying them purchasing them or whatever.

But they've always been around. Our covenant says from the use or sale of destructive or illegal drugs. Not all drugs, but illegal and destructive ones. There are many vital and necessary drugs which pharmacies sell over the counter or distribute at a doctor's order. I am not one who is going to tell you, stand up here this morning, you don't need medicine.

Because some of you need medicine. And that is okay. And that is, I believe, okay with God. Some drugs and medical treatments are miracles I believe from God. Miracles to provide for the needs of his children and even those who may never be For he causes it to rain on the just and on the unjust.

But God has gifted and given abilities to some people to help create and implement cures and treatments which prolong and better the lives of our loved ones. And for that we should be grateful. Not just to the person who developed the medicine but the God who gave them the ability to develop the medicine. I have a little pill up here. This is called verapamil.

I take it every day because if I don't my heart races and my blood pressure goes through the roof. So doctors can't seem to figure out why. But it does. And so this pill keeps it in check. I look at this as a gift from who?

A gift from God. And not all medicine is evil. A matter of fact, much of it, it is very good. Reminds me of a story I once heard this where there was this man. He he was on a boat.

His boat sank. He was grasping, clutching onto some wreckage from the boat desperately trying to stay afloat and he prayed to the Lord and he said, Lord, rescue me. Save me from from drowning and pretty soon along came another boat, a ship, and and they yelled out, hey, there. Do you need help? We can throw out the, you know, what what's that that donut thing, whatever it's called.

Yeah. And he said, no, no, don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. I trust God. God will save me.

And so on their way, they went. Pretty soon, here comes the Coast Guard in the helicopter. They yelled on, hey, down there. We're here to help you. Can can we help you?

And he says, oh no, don't worry about it. I gotta think God's going to take care of me and finally, he slipped off of the thing that was holding him afloat and he died and he he woke up and he said, heaven and he said, God, what happened? God said, what do you mean what happened? He said, I sent you a ship. I sent you a helicopter.

What else did you expect me to do? I answered your prayer and you wouldn't take it. God answers prayers in many ways. And sometimes the answer to a prayer can be in a very necessary medicine. When used in moderation properly and as prescribed, these can sustain and change our lives for the better.

But when obtained illegally or abused they can also lead to all sorts of addiction, misery and death. This world is full of illegal drugs, illicit drugs, mind altering, extremely addictive drugs. They are sold, produced in many cases for the purpose of just addicting people altering their minds and destroying essentially their lives for the sake of somebody's wallet. Clearly, this is not the work of God. This is the work of who?

This is the work of Satan. For he is our enemy. He wants to destroy lives. He wants to keep people away from Jesus who is by the way the true cure. To what deep down is our problem, sin.

And just because something is legal doesn't necessarily make it alright either. We must be careful and we must be cautious. Not every drug that is legal is good. They are trying to throughout our country legalize recreational marijuana, have in some states. That doesn't make it good.

Just because nicotine is legal does not make it good regardless of the delivery system. These are still addictive and harmful to one's mind and one's body. If you play with fire you're apt to get what? Burned. In first Corinthians ten twenty three, Paul says this, all things are lawful for me but all things are not expedient, convenient, expedient.

All things are lawful for me but all things edify not. Paul is speaking in respect again to the Mosaic Covenant as a Jew himself. He said in regards to the Old Testament law, I'm I'm under grace. I'm not under the law and all things are lawful for me but there are some things that maybe lawful but they're still not what? They're good.

They're they're not good, okay? And just because it's legal doesn't mean that it's good. Paul just says because I can eat whatever I want doesn't mean I should eat whatever I want. Okay? There are some things certain quantities in particular that aren't good.

The same thing goes with drugs and alcohol and other things. It may be lawful, but that doesn't mean you should do it. And just because instance, they change the laws to make marijuana legal doesn't mean that it's okay to do. It is still harmful. To your testimony and to your person.

First Corinthians six nineteen and twenty, what know you not that your body is the temple of the holy ghost which is in you which you have of God and you are not what? Your own. You're not your own. You belong to who? You belong to Jesus.

As a child of God, your life, your body, belongs to him. It's to be used in his service. It's to be used to bring glory to his name. It's to be used as a representative. For you are bought with a price.

Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God. So, be careful. Just because it's legal doesn't mean that it's good and it may be that it's hurting your testimony. It may be that it's destroying the body that God gave you to be used in his service. Therefore, be careful.

In regards to alcohol in particular, in days past alcohol was also used as medicine. Matter of fact, in some cases alcohol is still used as medicine. It was used a lot in the past as an antiseptic to destroy germs. Guess what? It still is today.

I have a bottle of isopropyl alcohol. I was thinking of bringing it. You get a cut or something. You can rub that on it. Then I got to thinking, well, no.

I have this little bottle of hand sanitizer. Guess what's in the hand sanitizer? Alcohol. Okay? Terrible, evil, bad thing?

No. A good thing. Because now when I shake your hands when we leave, you're a little less likely to catch whatever germs are on my hands that I got from the 12 people I shook hands with a few minutes ago. All right? So not necessarily a bad thing.

It's been used a long time for medicine, still is used to kill germs today. It was used in the past like an antibiotic, particularly when they didn't have antibiotics. Alcohol was used like an antibiotic to treat bacterial infections, particularly one called dysentery. Okay? There Paul trained a young man by the name of Timothy as a minister.

He then sent him out as a minister. Evidently, Timothy was a teetotaler. He drank no alcohol. We'll get there in a few minutes, but I think that's the wisest thing for all of us to do. But Timothy didn't drink any.

And there was a problem in Paul's day. That is the water was not that purified. And when you went from town to town, drank the water, you ingested whatever the local bacteria was. And if your immune system was not built up from it, you were likely to catch disease. Okay?

An illness. Particularly a gut illness. Dysentery. An intestinal problem. And Timothy had reoccurring problems with this.

And so Paul told Timothy here in this verse he says, drink no longer water. And in brackets there I have only. In one translation I have it actually has only in the text. He isn't saying stop drinking water. No.

He's saying, don't stop. In other words, drink no longer water alone but use a little wine for thy stomach sake and thine often infirmities. Paul is telling Timothy to use wine as a what? As a medicine. He's telling him to use it as a medicine.

It was needful. It was good. Matter of fact back in Jesus' day they didn't have the purification systems I mentioned that we have today. And in Israel typical home would have what they call the wine skin hanging from the wall in little home. In that wine skin there would be grape juice.

And that grape juice over time would become slightly just left there on its own without the distillation process we go through today that makes it much more alcoholic. But it would begin to turn and become fermented. They would then use the wine from the wineskin to mix with their water. They would use four, five, six parts water to one part wine was typically the way it was used. And it was done that way and used that way so that the alcohol in the wine would kill the bacteria in the water.

So essentially the wine was used primarily as an antiseptic and to keep you from getting dysentery. Evidently Timothy for the testimony sake didn't even want to do that. And so he had some Paul Paul said it's okay to take it as a what? As a medicine. No problem there.

Timothy, you need help. Use it in that fashion as others did. In desperate circumstances it has been used as an anesthetic before surgery and other painful procedures to make the pain bearable. A matter of fact Jesus Christ was offered a type of alcoholic vinegar when he was having the nails driven through his hands but he refused it because as Jesus died there on the cross, he needed to feel. And endure the suffering that was ours to endure for us.

He needed to pay the price that was ours to pay and so he pushed it away but it was very, again, used commonly for that purpose. As an antiseptic as like an antibiotic as an anesthetic as a medicine. Alcohol can be used for medical purposes. '23 and beginning in verse 29, okay? Twenty three twenty nine.

Who hath woe? Or who hath suffering means? Who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? Who hath babbling?

Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine. They that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red when it giveth his color in the cup.

When it moveth itself aright. We'll stop there for just a second. What does he mean when he says look not upon the wine when it is red in the cup. What's the red here? Well, the primary type of wine that they drank back then was what was called red wine and red ones from what?

Somebody help me out. Purple, purple grapes, right? Most most part purple grapes. We had Concord grapevine in our backyard when I was a kid. And that's the grapes that I ate off the grapevine when I was a kid.

My mom made jelly out of. Purple grapes make purple grape juice. But after a time, particularly if you add sugar and you add yeast, you add different stuff, whatever it is, to the grape juice and you put it through this distillation process, the purple grape juice turns what? Turns red. And when it turns red, then you know that it is alcoholic.

And the redder it gets, the more alcoholic it is. And so what is God? What is the writer of Proverbs here saying? Don't look upon it when it is what? When it's red in the cup.

When it turns to alcohol, that's what he's talking about here. Verse 32, At last, it biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder. Anybody want that to happen to you today? Thine eyes shall behold strange women. Thine heart shall utter perverse things.

Yey, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea or is he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, thou shalt say, and I was not sick. They have beaten me and I felt it not. When shall I awake? Last words, I will seek it yet again.

I worked with a young man when I was in college in between semesters in college I worked at a tire factory. Brother Al can fill you in more about that wherever he is. He always laughs at me when I bring it up. But in order to get through college I worked at a tire factory. And I worked with a young man for a couple of summers.

He was a student at Virginia at VMI, Virginia Military Institute. Every Monday he came in, they put him in a room and let him sleep off his hangover and then he got to work. And he did that every weekend. He was stone drunk every weekend. And he asked me on more than one occasion how do you have any fun without getting drunk.

He would then go on to tell me about the fun that that he had and it really didn't sound all that much like fun to me. Half the time he couldn't remember what had happened to him that week or or the night before. Sad to say the words and the picture that this provides here in scripture is all too true of what alcohol can do to people. It isn't fun. It isn't.

It isn't edifying. It can be very very destructive. We're warned here of its addictive properties. We'll kind of go in reverse order. The last words of the passage say, despite all of this terrible stuff that happened to me I will what?

I will seek it yet again. Why? Why would you do that? Why would you do something over and over and over and over and over again that that in the end only makes life worse? Why would you do that?

Well, because it's addictive. Drugs are addictive. You you look at somebody who's a drug and you see what they do, what they do to to to get the stuff, what what they're willing to sacrifice, and how miserable they are. But yet, they will go right back to it. They'll go right back to it.

First Corinthians six twelve and thanks to the power going out. I don't have the PowerPoint. So, but I'll read it to you. First Corinthians six twelve, all Paul writes, all things are lawful for me but all things are not expedient. Sound familiar?

Not the same verse though. It finishes this way. All things are lawful for me but I will not be brought under the power of any. Paul says, I will not be brought under the power of any. What does that mean?

He does means can eat, drink, do this, do that but I won't be addicted to anything. I won't be addicted. Now, just a very simple question. What is the best way, the only surefire way to not become addicted to illegal drugs? Don't do them.

Don't take them. Don't start. If you don't start you will never get what? You will never get addicted. Alcoholism is not a disease that you catch.

Alcoholism is an addiction. It is a habitual sinful addiction. The only surefire way to never become addicted to alcohol is to what? Is to not drink it. If you don't drink it you cannot become what?

Addicted to. There are some diseases that are transmitted sexually. The only way, the best way to make sure you won't get HIV or one of those diseases is to not participate in that activity. The world wants to, well, we have this protection, that protection. No, just listen to God and be moral.

You see, God's solutions are simple and they work. The world's solutions are complex, complicated because they can't stomach the simple ones. Because they want the pleasure that it brings. And therefore, they try to devise ways to get the pleasure but not suffer the what? The consequences.

The best way to avoid the consequences of alcohol is not to drink alcohol. It says here in this passage, it says, look at again at verse 31. What is the first word of verse 31? Look. Proverbs twenty three thirty one, look, look not thou upon the what?

Wine when it is red in the cup. What does God say? God says, don't look at it. What does that mean? Don't look at it with desire.

Don't let it tempt you because if you let it tempt you you might what? You might give in. So just avoid it. It warns of the mind and behavior altering properties. It warns of the likelihood that it will bring misery and regret.

That you will say things you regret after your tongue has been loosened. That you will become angry or even violent towards someone you love. That you will embarrass yourself and damage your testimony like Noah did before his children after he got off the ark. He planned a vineyard. He drank the wine after it fermented and Noah got what?

Drunk. He embarrassed himself. He warns and again in that day they didn't have automobiles but in today we do. You could get behind the wheel of an automobile and do unreparable damage to somebody's life or your own. You say but but I I will I will call a taxi.

Oh yes. When you're under the influence you can be sure that you're thinking straight and call a taxi right? Could commit crimes and end up in jail. How many people that are in jail also had alcohol problems? Involve yourselves or themselves in immoral activities which result in the loss of moral purity, destruction of homes and marriages, an unwanted pregnancy and the contraction of life altering and ending diseases.

Alcohol as a drink has a wonderful track record, does it not? It poses a great danger to the church and particularly to the testimony of the church before the world. Is it worth it? Is it worth it? If the answer to that is, well, yes, it is worth it, then you have a bigger problem than just alcohol.

You have an issue with God. In Ephesians five eighteen, it says, be not drunk with wine whereas an access but be filled with the spirit. We are as Christians are to be walking, to be filled, to be led, to be controlled by the spirit. I ask you, can you do that if you are the under the influence of alcohol? The answer to that is what?

Answer to that is no. Who says so? God says so. Don't be drunk with wine. You say, but pastor, what is drunk?

Well, here we go. Let's define drunk for you. Well, we'll just let the state of Florida define drunk for you. Okay? The state of Florida says if you have an alcoholic blood content of point 08%.

Now that's not point zero eight. That's an 8%. That's in point zero eight. That is just a miniscule amount. The state of Florida says if you have an alcoholic blood content of point 08% you are unfit to get behind the wheel of vehicle and drive.

Why are you unfit? Because you are under the influence, your senses are dulled, your reasoning capabilities are dulled because you are under the influence of alcohol. In other words, the world recognizes that a couple of beers, a couple glasses of wine, a couple shots of whiskey is enough to intoxicate a person, but Christians want to quibble over the definition of drunk. The only way to make sure I don't get drunk is not to what? Drink.

I'm puzzled. Who is supposed to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth? The legislators of Florida or Christians? How can we lead them to Christ if we are not willing to be different, sacrifice a few earthly pleasures for the treasures of heaven and lost souls around us? In Romans fourteen thirteen, it says, let us not therefore judge one another anymore but judge this, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in a brother's way.

You say, pastor, I can handle it. Yes. What about the person who comes to your house and sees the beer in your refrigerator? How about the person that goes to the restaurant and sees you sitting at the bar drinking a shot? Or a glass of wine.

Maybe, maybe, maybe you can handle it. Big maybe. But it could be that for the sake of a little bit of pleasure that is at best questionable, you could be a stumbling block to somebody else. Again, I asked, is it worth it? You say, well, Christ turned water into wine, didn't he?

Well, let's take a moment again. I know it's twelve. Give me just a couple minutes because this is going to come up. In the Bible, there's only one word for grape juice. That's the word oinos, Okay?

And so whether it's unfermented or whether it's fermented, it's the same word in the Greek. It's oinos. The word oinos does not give a distinction between fermented or unfermented grape juice. And so when you read that Jesus turned water into wine, the passage is not stipulating whether that grape juice was fermented or what? Unfermented.

You can't say. Here's what I can say. I don't think Jesus would give people a tool to get them what? Drunk because that would be inconsistent with what? The scripture.

So I believe that whatever it was Jesus created that day couldn't get people drunk which means maybe it tasted like alcohol. Maybe it looked like it but it didn't have what? It didn't have that ability. If you go out and grab a bottle of wine, trust me, it has that ability and my guess is you're not mixing five and six parts water with one part wine. Because that's not why people drink it today.

People need Christ not alcohol, not narcotics, but Jesus to fill the void in their life. Give them hope and joy and satisfy their soul. He is the living water from which one might drink and never thirst again. He is the only one can fill that void in the human heart that people try to fill with drugs and alcohol and promiscuity and whatever else they try to fill it with. Jesus is the answer.

I understand why the world drinks and do not expect it to act differently But I do believe God expects different of his children. And therefore, while others are stripping this stipulation out of their covenants, it is still in ours. And I think it should be. You may be here today and already struggling with an addiction to drugs or alcohol because a lot of people are. Let me tell you, there is hope in Jesus Christ.

He died for you. He died for your sin. He died to save you from it. He decide to deliver you from it. And give you a home in heaven.

But God commended his love toward us and that while we were yet what? Sinners. Christ died for us and Christ died for you. He invites you to himself with open arms. If you will put your faith in him, He says, come unto me all you that labor and heavy laden and I will give you rest.

Not alcohol. Jesus will give you rest. He is the answer. Jesus loves you and will free you from the slavery and penalty of sin and the addiction that enslaves you. If you will trust him.

He will forgive you and give you victory if you will repent. He did not come into the world to condemn the world but he came into the world to what? Save it. To save it from hell, to save it from the enslavement of sin. To keep those whom he loves and knows as his children from sorrow and woe which result from playing with fire.

Repent and trust Christ alone. Commit your way unto the Lord. Delight in him rather than alcohol and drugs and he will give you the what? No, the desires of your heart. If you need to change your practice, tell him about it.

If you want to tell me, that's fine. I'd be glad to pray with you but you don't have to tell me, tell him. If you need to get help, ask Jesus. And then find somebody else who can be a help to you as well. Don't be like the man who held on to the board while God sent all kinds of people to help and he said, no.

If you are lost and in sin and beholden to it, on the way to a sinner's hell, repent and trust Christ today and be saved. Not just from alcoholism, not just from drug addiction. Be saved from sin and Satan and hell. For that's what Jesus came to do. For whosoever shall call in the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord. For your word. Thank you for what a privilege it is to preach and teach it. Lord, I pray that you'd open up our minds and hearts to it.

We'd be willing to honestly reflect not upon the lives of others but on on our own selves. Lord, if there's one here today that's never trusted Christ as we sing this event of invitation, I plead with them to come today and be saved. We can show them from God's word how they can be saved and know it. For you died for them. And Lord, if there's someone else here that's struggling with drugs or alcohol and Lord is desiring victory over it, I pray today that you would give them the victory.

I pray that they might confess that before you and see it. As the sin it is that you would deliver them from that and that you would keep us from that. In Jesus name, we do pray.